State of the Union Address

"The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." - The Constitution, Article II, Section 3

George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address on January 8, 1790. His speech centered on the idea of unity itself, that democracy was in its infancy and its success needed to be proven. The tradition of a speech continued under the administration of John Adams with much pomp and circumstance.

Thomas Jefferson rejected the idea of a large speech and the ceremony that surrounded it. To him it was the type of ceremony common to the British monarchy that the founding fathers had rejected. True to his pledge of a return to a more “simple” form of government, he chose to send a written message rather than deliver a speech. The President's Annual Message, as it was then called, remained a written document for the next 112 years.

In 1913 Woodrow Wilson revived the practice of delivering the annual message in person, giving a dramatic speech calling for tariff reform. Since the advent of radio and television the speech has become a major campaign event. In 1965 Lyndon Johnson moved the speech from midday to the evening in order to attact a larger television audience. The address is now used to present issues and reforms to the American people. LBJ used the speech to outline his "Great Society" platforms. Ronald Reagan, after having his 1986 speech postponed due to the Challenger explosion, used his final speech to apologize for the Iran-Contra scandal.

The State of the Union Address has evolved from an neccessary report to Congress on the health of the country, to a major media event that can paint the image of the President into the eyes of the nation.

The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.

As it turns out, "from time to time" has been interpreted from the beginning as meaning yearly, and in fact, the speech was referred to as the "Annual Message" until FDR. Since the required content of the speech is open to interpretation, these national addresses have been used for everything from simple informational sessions to campaigning, and from introduction of policy to national apologies, though in recent history it is mostly used to promote the priorities of the President for the upcoming year.

Current Practices

The State of the Union Address has become a prime time event used to rally the President's own political party, reach out to the opposition, and speak directly to the public. Since 1966, an opposition response follows the State of the Union, and is typically given by leaders of the political party opposite the President.

Calendar Years with no State of the Union Address: 1933 (technically, 1989 and 1993 did not have official state of the union addresses, however the speeches given by the President at the beginning of these years were perceived as such)

Calendar Years with multiple State of the Union Addresses: 1790, 1953, and 1961

Below is a listing of all of the State of the Union Addresses. To signify which Addresses have been noded, I have placed the exact date of the speech next to the link rather than just the year.As might be expected, noding over 200 years of annual speeches can be time consuming, so please be patient.

Jefferson rejected the regal and ceremonial aspect of the State of the Union Address. He decided on a more "simple form of government" and submitted his address to the Congress by letter. This practice continued for over a century until 1913 when Woodrow Wilson once again gave his address as a speech.